Endangered Species Act Protections Restored by Federal Judge

JUL 6 2022·Updated SEP 20 2022

Story

Image credit: Alamy [via The Humane Society of the United States]

The Facts

A US federal judge in California has restored a range of protections under the Endangered Species Act that were removed under Trump in 2019.
wsj
Trump-era changes to regulations included rolling back restrictions designed to protect endangered species and allowing federal agencies to factor in economic assessments when deciding whether to protect species, among other measures.
CNBC
The ruling - brought foward by EarthJustice, the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and others in 2019 - will restore protections for hundreds of species
CNBC
This comes as two wildlife agencies - the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and National Marine Fisheries Service - are separately reviewing five Endangered Species Act regulations established by Trump.
NBC
The USFWS has further stated that it will reinstate the decades-old "blanket rule" that mandates additional protection for species newly entering the "threatened" list.
CBS News
The Endangered Species Act was signed into law by Nixon in 1973 and has reportedly protected species such as the bald eagle, grizzly bear, and Florida manatee. The legislation currently protects 1.6K species.
CNBC

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The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

This court decision is a win for environmental and conservation groups as well as climate activists. With Trump's limitations on the desperately needed ESA gone, endangered animals stand a better chance at survival in the fight against climate change.

CNN

Establishment-critical narrative

Despite the Biden administration's desires to revise or rescind much of Trump's changes to the ESA, it must be noted that more restrictive regulations aren't always better for helping wildlife. Trump-era rules removed regulations that were counterproductive and the ESA doesn't do enough to tackle the issue that most endangered species live on private land.

The Hill